Formed door for refrigerators

ABSTRACT

A door for a refrigerated appliance is provided which includes an outer metal panel having a generally rectangular front surface area lying generally in a first plane. Top, left, right and bottom side surface areas are formed as extensions from the front surface area, and are connected thereto via radiused bends to orient said side surface areas in planes approximately 90 degrees from the plane of the front surface area. The side areas are formed without seams or other discontinuations between any of the front or side surface areas. Flanges may extend from each of the top, left, right and bottom sides, the flanges being oriented generally in a plane approximately parallel to the plane of the front surface area. Adjacent flanges have overlapping areas which are secured together with metal fastening elements. The side surface areas may be joined at bends having radii in the range of 6-20 mm.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Refrigeration appliances, such as refrigerators and freezers typically have doors which can be opened to allow a user to access a refrigerated compartment in the interior of the appliance. In order to assist in maintaining the compartment in a refrigerated state, the doors are usually insulated. In many instances refrigeration appliance doors are formed of a sheet metal material that is bent or drawn into a shape in which the door is provided with a thickness to accommodate the insulation material, among other things. As such, the door has a front surface area, and top, left, right and bottom side surface areas formed from sheet metal material.

In order to form the top, bottom, right and left side surface areas in metal sheets, it has been required that a seam or discontinuity must be provided between at least some of the adjacent side surface areas. Such a seam or discontinuity visually detracts from the appearance of the appliance. While plastic appliance door constructions have been able, through melting and molding operations not available when working with metal, for example see U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,097, to form seamless corners, until now, metal door constructions have required seams or other discontinuities at the corners.

In some cases, the seam or discontinuity is caused by having terminal edges of the surface areas abut one another after being bent into shape, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,703, which require the extra step of welding (FIG. 14) of the two terminal edges if the seam or discontinuity is to be rendered visually pleasing, or to avoid a leakage point for foam insulation. In other cases, the seam or discontinuity is caused by having folds in the sheet metal material interposed between the two side surface areas, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,593. With the use of such folds, the seam or discontinuity between the adjacent side surface areas is visible, and generally must be covered with some type of trim material in order to provide a visually pleasing appearance to the appliance.

It would be an improvement in the art if an arrangement were provided for forming corners for a metal door for a refrigeration appliance in which the side surface areas were joined together without a seam or discontinuity in order to avoid the drawbacks mentioned above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art in that a refrigerated appliance is provided with a door which comprises an outer metal panel having a generally rectangular front surface area lying generally in a first plane, top, left, right and bottom side surface areas formed as extensions from the front surface area, and connected thereto via radiused bends to orient the side surface areas in planes approximately 90 degrees from the plane of the front surface area, without seams or other discontinuities between any of the front or side surface areas.

In an embodiment, flanges extend from each of the top, left, right and bottom sides, the flanges being oriented generally in a plane approximately parallel to the plane of the front surface area, adjacent flanges having overlapping areas which are secured together with fastening elements.

In an embodiment, adjacent ones of each of the side surface areas are joined at bends having radii in the range of 6-20 mm.

In an embodiment, including flanges extending from said side surface areas approximately parallel to the first plane, a plastic door liner is engaged with the flanges, and a foamed-in-place insulation material is adhered between the liner and an inner surface of the outer metal panel.

In an embodiment, the front surface has an outwardly convex shape, and in other embodiments, the front surface has a planar shape.

In an embodiment, the side surface areas are joined to the front surface area at bends having a radius in the range of 6-20 mm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a refrigerator with a door embodying the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial rear elevational view of the door front panel of FIG. 1 with the flanges removed for clarity.

FIG. 3 is a partial rear elevational view of the door front panel of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is side sectional view of the complete door of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a partial rear elevational view of bottom corner of the front door panel of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is directed to a door for a refrigeration appliance, such as a refrigerator, freezer, ice maker, or a combination appliance having both a refrigerated (fresh food) compartment and a freezer (frozen food) compartment. Throughout this specification, the terms refrigerator or refrigeration appliance will be used to encompass all such devices.

A refrigerator is shown generally at 20 in FIG. 1. In the embodiment illustrated, there are two side-by-side doors 22, 24 which are hinged to a cabinet of the refrigerator for providing access to a refrigeration and a freezer compartment respectively, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,825 incorporated herein by reference. Also shown in the freezer door 24 is a recess 26 for providing chilled water and ice. Other types of refrigeration appliances are contemplated, such as refrigerator/freezer combination appliances having a top mounted or a bottom mounted freezer compartment(U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,732,014 and 5,357,769, incorporated herein by reference), a single door refrigerator appliance (U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,854, incorporated herein by reference) or a single door freezer appliance. Other numbers and arrangements of doors are also contemplated (See U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,498, incorporated herein by reference).

As seen in FIG. 1, each door 22, 24 has a front, generally rectangular, surface area 28 formed from an outer metal panel 29, which front surface area lies generally in a first plane, here shown to be a substantially vertical plane. In some refrigeration appliances, such as chest freezers, the front surface area 28 of the door 20 may lie in a generally horizontal plane. In other refrigeration appliances, such as ice machines, the door 20 may be oriented in a plane at an angle between vertical and horizontal.

The front surface area 28 of the door 20 may be generally planar in shape, or may have a generally outwardly convex shape, as shown in FIG. 1. That is, a portion of the surface area 28 may be at a different elevation relative to the plane of the surface area than other portions, even though the entire surface area lies generally in the plane. For example, the front surface area 28 may be slightly rounded or bulging, or the front surface area may have a stepped or bevelled surface configuration. Typically there are also handles 30 of some type provided on the door 20 to assist in the opening of the door.

The front surface area 28 of the door 20 is formed from the sheet metal panel 29, typically a form of steel such as carbon steel or stainless steel. The surface of the sheet metal panel 29 may be smooth or may have a texture applied to it. It may be brushed or painted, or have some other appearance enhancing treatment applied to it. In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the sheet metal panel 29 is less than 0.040 inches (0.1 mm) and most preferred, is less than 0.030 inches (0.076 mm) in order to reduce weight and cost. Sufficient strength is provided to the door as described below.

The sheet metal material 29 is preferably acted upon by a drawing die to form a top 32, right 34, left 36 and bottom 38 side surface area of the door 20 as shown in a rear inside view of the door panel in FIG. 2, a partial side sectional view in FIG. 4 and a partial rear perspective view in FIG. 5. The side surface areas 32-38 are each oriented in a plane that is approximately perpendicular to the plane of the front surface area 28, and are joined to the front surface area at a radius area 39 (FIG. 4) without seams or discontinuities. The radius area 39 preferably has a radius in the range of 6 to 20 mm.

In the forming process, the top 32, right 34, left 36 and bottom 38 side surface areas of the door 20 are formed without any seams or discontinuities between each other. The adjacent sides are joined to each other at a radius area 40 (FIG. 2), which has a radius preferably in the range of 6 to 20 mm. In a more preferred embodiment, the radius 40 is in the range of 8 to 12 mm. When the radius 40 begins to increase above 20 mm, the strength and rigidity of the corner begins to decrease to unacceptable levels, requiring additional support and strengthening members, thereby increasing the weight and cost of the door. By maintaining relatively tight corner radii, such as 20 mm or less, the strength and rigidity of the door may be maintained, without the need for additional support structures.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, each of the side surface areas 32-38 is also provided with a flange 42, 44, 46, 48 (not shown in FIG. 2 for purposes of clarity). After the drawing process and a material trimming and removal process, the flanges 42-48 are bent into a position such that they lie generally in a plane that is perpendicular to their associated side surface area, and generally parallel to the plane of the front surface area 28. The flanges are joined to their associated side surface areas at a radius area 49 (FIG. 4), which has a radius preferably in the range of 6 to 20 mm. The flanges 42-48 also extend in a direction relative to the side surface areas so that they overlie an inner surface 51 of the outer metal panel 29.

The flanges 42-48 each have a length such that as they are folded over, end portions 50, 52 of adjacent flanges overlie each other, and fill the corner areas to the greatest extent possible in order to prevent leakage of liquid foam insulation used during manufacture of the door, as described below, or to avoid or reduce the need for blocking material for the foam. This overlap 50, 52 of the flanges 42-48 permits the use of a fastening element 54 to secure the adjacent metal flanges together to assist in strengthening the door 20. The fastening elements 54 may be interlocking stamped configurations, such as toggle locks, which do not require the use of additional fasteners. The fastening elements 54 may also comprise a welding or soldering attachment of the two flange end portions 50, 52. Further, the fastening elements 54 may comprise separate mechanical fasteners, including rivets or threaded fasteners.

As best shown in FIG. 4, the completed door 20 includes a plastic door liner 56 engaged with the flanges 42-48. This door liner 56 forms the interior surface of the completed door 20 and may be provided with formed shelves or attachment devices for receiving shelves, as is well known, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,322,366 and 5,486,045, incorporated herein by reference. A sealing gasket is attached in the area of the flanges 42-48 for providing a relatively air tight seal between the door and the cabinet, as is well known, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,901, incorporated herein by reference.

A foamed-in-place insulation material 58 is injected into the space between the metal panel 29 and the door liner 56 which expands to fill the space and adheres to the liner 56 and the inner surface 51 of the outer metal panel before it hardens, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,107, incorporated herein by reference. The combination of the relatively tight radiused corners of the door panel 29, the flanges 42-48 which are secured to one another, the door liner 56 and the foamed-in-place insulation material 58 work together to provide sufficient structural strength and rigidity to the completed door such that no additional lateral or vertical support members are required to prevent the door from sagging, racking or flexing beyond acceptable limits in a normal sized domestic refrigeration appliance, despite the relatively thin material used for the outer metal panel 29.

As is apparent from the foregoing specification, the invention is susceptible of being embodied with various alterations and modifications which may differ particularly from those that have been described in the preceding specification and description. It should be understood that we wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of our contribution to the art. 

1. A door for a refrigerated appliance, comprising: an outer metal panel having a generally rectangular front surface area lying generally in a first plane, top, left, right and bottom side surface areas formed as extensions from said front surface area, and connected thereto via radiused bends to orient said side surface areas in planes approximately 90 degrees from said plane of said front surface area, without seams or other discontinuations between any of the front or side surface areas, and flanges extending from each of said top, left, right and bottom sides, said flanges being oriented generally in a plane approximately parallel to said plane of said front surface area, adjacent flanges having overlapping areas which are secured together with metal fastening elements.
 2. A door according to claim 1, including a plastic door liner engaged with said flanges, and a foamed-in-place insulation material adhering between said liner and an inner surface of said outer metal panel.
 3. A door according to claim 1, wherein said metal fastening elements comprise toggle locks.
 4. A door according to claim 1, wherein said metal fastening elements comprise rivets.
 5. A door according to claim 1, wherein said metal fastening elements comprise welds.
 6. A door according to claim 1, wherein said metal fastening elements comprise threaded fasteners.
 7. A door according to claim 1, wherein said front surface has an outwardly convex shape.
 8. A door according to claim 1, wherein said front surface has a planar shape.
 9. A door according to claim 1, wherein adjacent side surface areas are joined at bends having a radius in the range of 6-20 mm.
 10. A door according to claim 1, wherein said side surface areas are joined to said front surface area at bends having a radius in the range of 6-20 mm.
 11. A door according to claim 1, wherein said side surface areas extend away from said front surface area a distance of 5 cm to 15 cm.
 12. A door according to claim 1, wherein said flanges extend away from said side surface areas a distance of 1 cm to 6 cm.
 13. A door for a refrigerated appliance, comprising: an outer metal panel having a generally rectangular front surface area lying generally in a first plane, top, left, right and bottom side surface areas formed as extensions from said front surface area, and connected thereto via radiused bends to orient said side surface areas in planes approximately 90 degrees from said plane of said front surface area, without seams or other discontinuations between any of the front or side surface areas, wherein adjacent ones of each of said side surface areas are joined at bends having radii in the range of 6-20 mm.
 14. A door according to claim 13, including flanges extending from said side surface areas approximately parallel to said first plane, a plastic door liner engaged with said flanges, and a foamed-in-place insulation material adhering between said liner and an inner surface of said outer metal panel.
 15. A door according to claim 13, wherein said front surface has an outwardly convex shape.
 16. A door according to claim 13, wherein said front surface has a planar shape.
 17. A door according to claim 13, wherein adjacent side surface areas are joined at bends having a radius in the range of 6-20 mm.
 18. A door according to claim 13, wherein said side surface areas are joined to said front surface area at bends having a radius in the range of 6-20 mm.
 19. A door according to claim 13, wherein said side surface areas extend away from said front surface area a distance of 5 cm to 15 cm.
 20. A refrigerated appliance, comprising: a cabinet enclosing a refrigerated space and a door hinged to said cabinet to provide access to said refrigerated space, said door comprising an outer metal panel having a generally rectangular front surface area lying generally in a first plane, top, left, right and bottom side surface areas formed as extensions from said front surface area, and connected thereto via radiused bends to orient said side surface areas in planes approximately 90 degrees from said plane of said front surface area, without seams or other discontinuities between any of the front or side surface areas, and flanges extending from each of said top, left, right and bottom sides, said flanges being oriented generally in a plane approximately parallel to said plane of said front surface area, adjacent flanges having overlapping areas which are secured together with metal fastening elements.
 21. A refrigerated appliance according to claim 1, including a plastic door liner engaged with said flanges, and a foamed-in-place insulation material adhering between said liner and an inner surface of said outer metal panel. 